Plant sign replica of past

New sign at Studebaker National Museum recalls earlier era.

New sign at Studebaker National Museum recalls earlier era.

September 15, 2006|JIM MEENAN Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND Here's one street sign you won't want to miss. Located along Chapin Street in front of the Studebaker National Museum is a living sign, formed out of bushes, that spells out S-T-U-D-E-B-A-K-E-R. The sign is a replica of sorts of the one pilots formerly saw from the sky at the Studebaker Proving Grounds in 1937. That was one made of 8,200 pines, and also spelled out the company's name. The original trees and sign remain a part of Bendix Woods County Park. "We have received a lot of favorable comments on it," said Andy Beckman, archivist of the replica. The one-foot or so tall boxwood bushes stretch 70 feet spelling out the name, and the letters have a depth of 10 feet, sitting on a slight embankment alongside the museum. "If you are driving down Chapin Street, you will see it," Beckman said. "I think it's wonderful. It's an attention grabber." The garden was done by Douglas Landscape, thanks to a donation by Linda L. Miller in memory of S. Ray Miller Jr., a former lifetime trustee of the Studebaker National Museum. The living sign took a while to take root, Beckman noted. "We are getting them shaped and trimmed and there will be more definition as time goes on," he said. By the way, if you fly over the Bendix Woods area, you can still see the original sign spelled out with tall pines. That sign made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest living sign at one time. The original trees can be found in Bendix Woods County Park on Indiana 2, and they are marked in the park. The Studebaker National Museum is at 201 S. Chapin St., South Bend. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.Staff writer Jim Meenan: jmeenan@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6342